Friday, September 6, 2013

Virginia's Voter Registration Purge

...Approximately 57,000 Virginians have been flagged as being registered
in another state, and counties are removing some from the voter rolls
without any notice or opportunity to rebut the claim. Before
conservatives lose their marbles that this is clear and irrefutable
evidence of voter fraud, it’s worthwhile to consider how voter registration
works. Each state maintains its own roll rather than a nationwide
system. When Joe America, who had been registered in Richmond, moves to
Philadelphia and registers there, he’s not required to cancel his
Virginia registration before enrolling in Pennsylvania. The process for
removing registrations of people who have moved elsewhere varies from
state to state, but generally involves periodic comparisons of lists
between states to flag and remove people like Joe America who have moved
elsewhere.

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First and foremost, as multiple county registrars explained to
ThinkProgress, voters whose registrations are being cancelled aren’t
being given any advance notice. Rather than being mailed a warning
letter asking if they still live in Virginia, they are being sent
notices that their registration
has been cancelled effective immediately. If the cancellation is in
error, the letter says to contact the registrar and get it worked out.
It’s not measure twice, cut once. It’s cut first and be ready with tape
for the mistakes...